The Witching Stone
by GirlOutsideTheBox
Summary: In the times of the Great Purge, Uther confiscated a Witching Stone. No longer ignorant of its worth, he brings it out to test Camelot for sorcery. The stone increases a sorcerer's magic, but at a terrible price. Merlin has never been normal, and when the magic of Emrys is meddled with, there can be... unexpected results.
1. The Witching Stone

**I don't own Merlin folks. Otherwise there would be a sixth season.**

Merlin was convinced the world was conspiring against him. First, Arthur had dragged him on one of those terrible hunting trips just for the sake of _killing something_ (the fact that he gave the meat to the lower town was totally irrelevant, because what did those poor bunnies ever do to him?) and then Uther had to go and bring a powerful artifact out of the vaults in another one of his hunts for sorcery that only seemed to end up wrongly accusing innocents. And occasionally Merlin, but Merlin wasn't exactly innocent by Uther's definition of the word.

Uther had called all the palace staff, knights, guests, and Arthur, to tell them about his new plan to sniff out sorcery in Camelot. Merlin was hoping that this plan did not involve a witch finder like last time-once was enough, thank you very much.

Merlin stood in the back of the room, leaning against the pillar like usual, with Gaius next to him looking as unruffled as ever. Uther strode down the center of the group, Arthur trailing behind looking bored. Most of the audience seemed to think it was best to just humor Uther at this point, and Arthur was no exception.

Uther started as usual with his speech about the fight against sorcery in Camelot (since I have been King... In our valiant battle, we... etcetera) and Merlin could feel himself leaning more and more heavily on the pillar. Some of the knights were talking over in the corner, not even pretending to pay attention. When one of them gave a particularly loud laugh, drawing the attention of half the audience, Uther paused and gave them a look that could curdle milk. They shut up immediately.

"As I was saying, I have discovered a new weapon in the fight against sorcery. It is something that sorcerers used to bolster their ranks before the Great Purge, but now we may use it against them. I confiscated it in the early days, and until recently had no inkling of its true value. An ally informed me, and now we may use it to completely eradicate sorcery in the heart of Camelot!" Uther paused and glanced around the audience, who were now listening with rapt attention. Merlin stopped leaning on the pillar and narrowed his eyes at the king.

Merlin's intuition was... _twitching._ Something about that glimmer in the King's eyes was foreboding. It was the look of a man who knew he'd won and was waiting for his adversary to realize it. A man who knew he'd outwitted his enemy and impaled him on his own sword. It was not a look that Merlin liked-especially on Uther.

The King continued, "I have in my possession a witching stone. It was used by _sorcerers_ to bolster their strength. A witching stone forces a sorcerer to undergo a magical quickening," here Uther gave a nasty smile, "which doubles their magic. Normally this occurs only when a sorcerer has attained great age-ninety years or so. But for a young sorcerer, it forces the change, leaving them helpless for days. The more powerful the sorcerer the more powerful the pain-but I've heard that for even the weakest it is unbearable. Sorcerers that have already had their quickening-well, they can't do it twice and are killed by their own magic."

Uther's smugness was palatable and his eyes cold. It was suddenly all too clear to Merlin that this man had murdered hundreds of children for the _crime_ of magic. Guards suddenly blocked the exits and servants' passages. Whispers spread through the crowd.

"I will be testing each and every one of you with the witching stone. Any attempts to leave before you have been tested will be seen as an admittance of sorcery and execution by pyre will follow. Arthur, with me. The rest of you, form a line!"

Gaius and Merlin exchanged panicked looks. Both knew that neither of them could touch the stone. While Gaius had not used magic in years, he still had it, if in paltry amounts. And Merlin's magic was like a river-powerful and uncontainable. Doubling it would be like releasing all the water at once, then shrinking the area it had to flow through by two. Merlin was an outlier-the witching stone could kill him or do nothing at all. Neither man had any wish to find out which.

Merlin swallowed. "Gaius, what-"

Gaius bent down to the floor and started looking for something. "Merlin, help me. Quickly!"

Merlin fumbled for a second. "What are you-oh, the switching spell."

Gaius didn't bother to reply, still scrambling around for a pebble or stone. Merlin joined him on the ground, both men crawling desperately around for something that at least resembled the witching stone.

They found nothing. The palace cleaning staff had done their jobs admirably, unfortunately. Merlin glanced back at the knights and servants behind them. "Oh, this is ridiculous!"

His eyes glowed golden and a piece of marble roughly the size and shape of the witching stone broke off of the pillar. Gaius whacked him on the back of the head for magic use in such a public place, but quickly grabbed the stone and scrambled into line behind the palace kitchen staff.

Uther worked his way down the line, handing the stone to each person with an unreadable expression and quick, sharp movements. Most of the people seemed apprehensive to handle something magical, and quickly gave the stone back to the king. Arthur watched the whole affair with a bored expression, apparently not even entertaining the idea that there might be magic in the castle.

Uther reached Gaius much faster than Merlin had been hoping. "Sire, if I may-"

Uther brushed him off. "Your hand, Gaius."

"I am just worried it might reawaken my, ah, previous talents, sire."

Uther remained impassive and unreadable. "If you have truly given them up, Gaius, then I believe that the stone will do no harm."

Gaius swallowed apprehensively, before extending his hand. "Very well, sire."

Merlin tilted his head down to hide his eyes, and whispered, " _Conaetir_."

Merlin's eyes glowed gold as the stone in his pocket replaced itself with the one falling towards Gaius's palm.

Gaius caught it with little fanfare. The surrounding servants (who had been watching unashamedly) let out a breath of relief and Merlin's shoulders relaxed. The King let out a small smile and snatched the stone from Gaius's palm.

Uther moved to stand in front of Merlin, gesturing for him to hold out his hand. Merlin did so without hesitation, and Uther plopped the stone in his hand before quickly snatching it back and moving down the line.

Gaius and Merlin shared a relief filled glance before moving to stand with the others who were cleared by the king.

Arthur and Uther were almost done when a serving girl at the end of the line broke ranks and sprinted for the door. It took less than a second for Uther to react. "GUARDS!"

The two guards by the door lunged forward and grabbed the girl, hauling her back to face the king. Merlin and Gaius could see her face but not Arthur's or Uther's. She looked absolutely terrified. Her eyes darted back and forth like one of Arthur's poor rabbits and her lips quivered.

Uther stepped closer. "Sorceress..."

The girl squirmed with renewed vigor. "N-no, your highness, I would never-"

Uther lunged forward and pressed the fake stone into her arm. The girl winced, like she was expecting it to bite her. Nothing happened. Merlin could feel Uther's frown.

The girl stared wide-eyed down at the stone before her still fearful eyes scanned the crowd. It looked like she was begging someone to come to her aid.

Uther growled, "Why did you run?"

The girl's eyes landed on Merlin. It was only for a brief second, but it was enough for him to get her attention. Merlin mouthed, "You were afraid of the stone!"

The girl's eyes flickered back to Uther. "T-the stone, your highness. My-my mother told me about such things-she said that they could turn nice girls into witches-I wasn't thinking, sire."

Uther made a noise between a growl and a hum. "Very well. But watch your step, girl. I will keep a close eye on you."

The girl nodded quickly. "Yes, sire. I apologize, sire."

Uther turned with a flare of his cloak. For a moment he stared with narrow eyes directly at Merlin, before turning and continuing with the rest of the line.

Merlin let out a second sigh of relief and gave a shaky smile to Gaius.


	2. Red and Blue

**Still don't own the amazingness that is Merlin... *sniffle***

The next morning Merlin set out to get rid of the witching stone. It was still in his pants pocket and Merlin wanted to dispose of it as quickly as possible. Neither he nor Gaius could touch it, which meant getting rid of it would require magic. That meant leaving the castle to find some place that no one would see him. Gaius had given him a sandwich and an order to collect some useful herbs (only after you're done, of course, you mustn't botch getting rid of it... And for goodness sake, boy, don't bring back hemlock like last time!). Merlin told Arthur he was going to be collecting herbs for Gaius and so wouldn't be available (Arthur excused him, if with a promise to muck out the stables-now there was something Merlin was _not_ looking forward to) and was free from his duties for the entire day.

Merlin was thankful for the break from work if nothing else. Arthur had been surprisingly… _strange_ lately, watching Merlin work with a contemplating expression on his face. At first, Merlin had been terrified Arthur had figured out his secret, but he was sure if Arthur knew he'd have confronted him by now.

Whistling, Merlin stepped deeper into the forest. Despite what Arthur liked to believe, Merlin could actually be stealthy when he wanted to. Unfortunately for the Prince, hunting trips didn't count. A rabbit that had been chewing on a leaf finally caught sight of Merlin and headed off into the bushes.

Merlin's whistling paused as the stone in his pocket pulsed. It had been doing that at seemingly random intervals ever since he'd left the castle. It gave Merlin an uncomfortable feeling. The stone was unpleasantly warm, like it was trying to burn away the cloth and get to him. Gaius had wanted Merlin to wear gloves, but Merlin had been afraid he'd slip up or the stone would burn through them. Much safer to just levitate it with magic where he could be far, _far_ away.

He finally arrived at the clearing he had in mind. It was deep in the forest, five miles or so, and hardly anyone ever came there. Merlin himself had found it when he'd gotten lost looking for herbs, and it had become a secret spot ever since.

Something about the clearing seemed calming to Merlin-the great oaks and flowers in the spring-and he thought it was the perfect place to do magic. Merlin planned to just levitate the stone out of his pocket and then use magic to smash it. Simple and easy.

Carefully, he focused on the stone. As if in response, it pulsed burning hot. Merlin flinched. Slowly, the stone rose out of his pocket and hovered, slowly spinning, in the air.

It was quite beautiful. In the relative shade of the throne room, Merlin hadn't been able to see the myriad of colors in the crystal. The whole thing was a dark reddish shade, with streaks of gold and blue intermixed. It was mesmerizing.

Without thinking about it, Merlin took a step forward.

If only he could touch it. It looked smooth and cold, like satin…

Merlin's arm was halfway up before he realized what he was doing and took several hurried steps backward.

The stone was _calling_ to him. Not like the dragon had, but a steady, warm tug on his magic. Merlin's magic was as much a part of him as his arms, so it was no wonder he'd almost answered.

There was no way he was touching that thing. No eternal agony or possible death for him, thanks.

Merlin took another step back and prepared to destroy the stone.

Bobbing like a happy child, the stone _followed_ him.

He could feel it tugging on his magic… reeling him in. Pulling itself to him.

Merlin scrambled backward. The stone followed like a very sinister lost puppy.

It was closer now, moving forward even when Merlin stopped moving. It hovered in the air at eye level, glowing and glinting in the sun. It floated forward a few more inches, coming to a halt a mere hand length from Merlin's face.

Merlin swallowed.

Slowly, ever so slowly, the stone drifted forward. Merlin felt its heat on his cheek.

With another happy bob, it touched him.

There was a bright flash of light, a bang, and the stone was gone. Merlin still felt it-it was inside his magic, a spot of heat in a golden ocean-

His fingers twitched.

And then he was certain he was on fire.

Every nerve ending was screaming at him. It was like he was dumped into boiling oil, cut into a million pieces, skinned alive-

He was screaming but he barely noticed-

And then his mind refused to feel a second more and all he knew was darkness.


	3. A Bit Not Good

**Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin. Seriously.**

Merlin woke up with a jolt. His first thought was that he had definitely not passed out in a wagon. His second thought was that he was totally screwed.

Slavers.

Magical slavers to boot, if the collars on some of the captives were any indication. Slavers in general were bad news, but ones using magic-binding collars had to be from out of Camelot. That meant Merlin was likely on his way to a remote location where it was unlikely Arthur would ever find him.

And the rather pressing problem of his capture and impending enslavement.

Merlin's mother had told him about slavers when he was very young, and then again before he left for Camelot. When he was younger the warning had been strict and serious. If you ever see slavers—or men who do not belong, run. Abandon everything. This rule even included Hunith herself. Merlin remembered being wide eyed and scared, and nodding vigorously at his mother's command. She was rarely so cold with him.

The warning before he left for Camelot was something he'd rather forget. His mother told him again of slavers, but this time added to her instructions. She told him of the lives slaves led and the abhorrent reality of slavery. How a man's dignity could be forfeit if he was captured.

Choosing death, she had said, was sometimes the better option.

Slavery was illegal in Camelot and the majority of the surrounding kingdoms, but that didn't stop slavers from picking off the occasional village. By the look of things, he'd been picked up by a large caravan.

Tied to the sides of the wagon were other captives. Next to him was a girl with red hair and a worn peasants dress, and an older boy with the same hair that was probably her older brother. Across form them were two men, each with their hands tied together behind their backs and gags in their mouths. Judging by the bruises, they'd tried to escape. Near the back of the wagon was a family, all shackled, huddled closely together. Merlin could see five more wagons in front of theirs, all holding captives. A few unfortunate men and women were tied by their wrists to the back of their wagon and being forced to walk while slavers rode alongside the caravan occasionally flicking slow captives with a horse whip.

Merlin tried to move his hands forward, but quickly discovered they were tied behind his back. At least they hadn't gagged him.

He shook his head, trying to clear it. If only his hands were free he could try to soothe the throbbing pain he could feel coming from the back of his head.

He struggled again, trying to slip his hands free, but they were bound to tightly.

Instinctively, he reached for his magic.

It reacted violently, sparking under his skin. Merlin felt like he was being burned from the inside. He doubled over and clamped his jaw shut to stop himself from screaming. His magic was wildly unstable and violent. Before it had felt like a golden lake, ready to be called and smooth. Now it was a raging ocean, impossibly vast and impossible to control.

Merlin could feeling it attempting to settle and failing. It was like it couldn't fit in him anymore. Forcing it was like trying to catch the sun with bare hands.

There was no way for him to use his magic.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Gaius paused his pacing when Arthur came in. "Well?"

There was an awkward silence while Arthur stared and Gaius without saying anything. Finally he sat down at the table with a sigh. "Nothing. My men checked the woods all morning. Not a trace."

Gaius sagged. "Nothing? Not even a footprint?"

Arthur shook his head. "I still have most of the group out looking. I have to report back to father. I'll tell you if they find anything."

Gaius turned and strode over to the wall, leaning dejectedly against it. His hand rubbed across his eyes.

Arthur continued staring at the table. "There's no particular place where he would have gone is there? There's got to be a spot where there are more herbs than others. As often as he goes out looking for them for you he must have a typical place to look."

As Gaius's back was turned, Arthur missed the flash of alarm across his face. Merlin thought Gaius didn't know about the little clearing where he practiced magic, but Gaius had followed him one day to see where his ward got off to. If there was a place Merlin would go to get rid of the stone, it would be there. But telling Arthur of the clearing gave him yet another opportunity to find out about Merlin's magic.

It didn't matter. Merlin could be in danger.

Gaius turned around. "There is, sire. A clearing where Merlin likes to go on his day off. It also has many herbs. If you are to find him, it will probably be there."

Arthur nodded. "I will alert the knights at once."

 **A/N: I hope you enjoyed. If not, try to find some chocolate. It'll cheer you up. I've had this planned out for a while but kinda got sidetracked... Oops. Sorry this is pretty short. The chapter just worked out that way.**


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